Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Representative Tim Griffin of
Arkansas, who was elected with Tea Party backing, said he won’t
seek a third term next year.

Griffin, 45, whose district includes Little Rock and its
suburbs, said in a statement today that he and his wife “have
decided that now is the time for me to focus intently on my top
priority, my family, as Elizabeth and I raise our two young
children.”

A former federal prosecutor, Griffin is a member of the
Army Reserve and has served in Afghanistan as a judge advocate
general.

His retirement creates the second open congressional seat
in 2014 in Arkansas, where Republican Tom Cotton has announced
he’s running for the U.S. Senate against Democratic Senator Mark
Pryor instead of seeking re-election to the House.

In the months leading up to his retirement decision,
Griffin’s campaign committee reported raising more than $208,000
from July 1 through Sept. 30, according to Federal Election
Commission records. His campaign began October with cash on hand
of $540,000, according to the online FEC records.